Why Adama Traore Will Be the Next Youth Talent to Climb the Ranks at Barcelona

Adama Traore isn't yet a household name at Barcelona, but if things go as expected, it won't be too long before everyone is aware of the youngster.

Just 19 years of age, the powerfully built wide-man has won an army of admirers during the couple of seasons he's been playing for Barca B.

A stocky and muscular frame would generally be more suited to playing in other areas of the pitch than the wing, but Traore is certainly no slouch when it comes to getting past his man.

In fact, his physique gives him the ability to leverage opponents away from the ball, while his lightning-quick turn of pace takes him past his marker in a flash.

Very much a winger in the old-school sense, he has the ability of contemporary Gerard Deulofeu but works harder and is more team-oriented.

If you watch him in action, once Traore has beaten his man, his first thought is to see whether a teammate is better placed and deliver effectively if so. Not go back and beat the player again. And again.

It perhaps explains why Luis Enrique is keen to allow Deulofeu to leave.

Traore may also be plying his trade elsewhere for some part of next season, but only on loan—to give him a taste of what to expect for the senior team at Barca. It's unlikely that day will be long in coming.

If there's one thing that defines Traore's character, it's a fearlessness with which he has approached each stage of his career. He was one of the players of the NextGen tournament in 2012, and his trajectory has continued on an upward curve ever since.

A coach's dream, he uses maturity to apply the particular methodology of each manager whom he has played under.

Per WhoScored.com, he only made a couple of fleeting appearances in the first team last season, but a 15-minute cameo against Huesca in the Copa Del Rey was enough time to register his first senior goal and get the crowd on their feet.

Although natural wing play isn't necessarily what's been required by the Luis Enrique Barca model, the youngster's ability to interpret instructions quickly and correctly is likely to be invaluable in the long run.

Traore's similar to Pedro Rodriguez in that he may initially need to content himself with a supplementary role to the the front three. If injuries or suspensions take their toll, Enrique knows, in Traore, he has a player who will be ready to step into the breach when required.

"

Adama Traoré, jogador de apenas 19 anos do Barcelona B, continua a dar que falar. Hoje fez esta grande assistência. https://t.co/jJMmjLESJU

— BOLA 24 (@bola24pt) February 28, 2015"

Although both Sandro Ramirez and Munir El-Haddadi could conceivably lay claim to a place in the senior squad in the near future too, neither has the versatility of Traore who wouldn't look out of place in any of the three attacking positions.

Both of the former are ostensibly centre-forwards and offer little else to justify their inclusion.

Traore might have thought that a potential residency as a wing-back was on the cards, but that is an avenue that would appear to be closed to him now.

After Aleix Vidal's signature and Dani Alves' renewal, Barca are well-set in that department. Not forgetting that, for the present time at least, both Martin Montoya and Douglas still remain on the books.

In any event, it would still be a surprise if this most studious of young players hasn't made the step up on a full-time basis by this time next year.